How much of a reading problem do we have (2)

As part of the package for the Nigerian National Reading Week, holding April 23-29, we plan to organise some training and refresher sessions for reading teachers at the primary and secondary school levels.

 

When I mentioned this last week to my friend of many years, Dr. Supo Jegede of the Faculty of Education, University of Lagos, he looked me straight in the eyes and in his straight but perceptive manner asked 'and how really do you want to bring this about?'

Let me take a detour and tell you a few things about Dr. Jegede. A very soft-spoken, humble and unassuming academic, Jegede in my view belongs to that endangered community of strident academics, who enjoy the university and want to simply do their best for society through that system. 'Richard, you know what I am, an academic, I am not a businessman, I am not a trader,' he recently remarked to me.

I had first met the don in the second half of the decade of the nineties when we had worked together on the Heinrich Boll Stiftung-assisted Network for the Promotion of Reading in Nigeria (NEP-READ) and then as at now he has always been a most dependable ally on the reading promotions circuit..

 

I went on to give him more details on the package of activities to which he made his very customary short but most prompting remarks.

For example, on the issue of the workshops for school teachers, he wanted to know which school segments we were going to focus on, pointing out that from his studies class has something to do with reading habits.

'The reading challenges of children at the University of Lagos International School or indeed other elite schools in Ikoyi and elsewhere are not exactly the same with public school pupils in the backsides of Mushin or Ajegunle and we would need to take this into consideration when designing the package.' 

 

Class reared its head again when I went on to describe the essentially on-line computer-based framework the companion story writing competition being put together to get students to contribute lines to the longest Nigerian story project would take. 'That is what I am talking about,' Jegede interjected, 'as you very well know, there are some of our students that would not be contributing to the story on account of their class.'

With scholars like Jegede who you can rely on to bring in fresh perspectives to reading projects, we are sure of a stronger and enriched reading atmosphere in Nigeria as the years go by and as more and more of us dutifully stand up to be counted in this most valuable crusade 

 

Meanwhile, the build-up for the National Reading Week is getting on quite strong. As part of the mobilization process, we are visiting and reaching out to all the book centres we can find. Along this line, yours truly was at Bible Wonderland/Book City today (23/01/12) and my first impulse on seeing the sea of good books on display, and several too by anther very good friend, Praise George, was to repent of all the books in me that I have not yet written and published! God! Goodluck can govern anyhow he wants. Boko Haram can Boko what they want. Subsidies can be removed and replaced five times over. Me, I have to read, read, read...and then go on to write all of my books!! Did I hear you say Amen!

Indeed, we need all hands to be on deck to have the great National Reading Week event that would provide further fillip to our books and reading industry. I am formally therefore inviting all of my readers, friends, associates, and indeed all lovers of books to stand up to be counted. The dates are April 23-29 and there are very many ways in which you can do something in the project. 

 

You may want to do a motivational talk to a school in your neighbourhood (office or home) within that week. You may want to buy and donate books to a school of your choice (your alma mater, etc). You may want to organise your own joining event in your flat, estate, church etc, that resonates with the theme of the event, 'the joy of reading.' You may want to talk to someone else to participate or link us to someone who you think will want to be involved. Individuals, associations, businesses, indeed, everyone is welcome. We will address all other questions that you have if you send them to richard.mammah@gmail.com

It is a reading year. What are you reading now?